Seoul was selected as the host of a global Catholic Church event for young people in 2027.

Pope Francis announced on Sunday that the South Korean capital was chosen as the host of the 2027 World Youth Day at the end of his Mass for this year's event in Lisbon, Portugal.

World Youth Day is an international event that brings together hundreds of thousands of young Catholics around the world for five to six days every three years.

The Seoul archdiocese estimates between 700-thousand and one million pilgrims, including about 300-thousand from overseas, will attend the 2027 edition.

The first World Youth Day was held in 1985. The Seoul event will mark only the second time that Asia has hosted World Youth Day since the Philippines hosted the festival in 1995.